Diversity In Israel

Israel Through Our Eyes ~ Diversity in Israel

Demographics of Israel:

Israel’s population of approximately 8.5 million is 74% Jewish and 21% Arab, most of which are Muslim. The Israeli population is a very diverse and mixed culture consisting of; Jews, Muslims, Christians, Bedouins, Druze, Bahai (who’s headquarters sit in the city of Haifa in northern Israel) and others. All of Israel’s citizens enjoy equal rights, regardless of religion, ethnicity, race or gender.

In numbers this looks approximately like the following:

• 74.3% – Jewish
  • 60,000 Ethiopian
  • Majority are decedents of Arab countries
• 17.7% Islam
• 1% Other
• 2% Christians
  • Armenian, Syriac, Roman, Melkite, Maronite, Eastern Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Anglicanism
• 5% Druze

Israel has many Arab citizens residing throughout the country, primarily in the north and around Jerusalem. The Arab communities, just like the Jewish ones, are entitled to operate their own social circles and education, which teach Arabic, one of Israel’s two official languages, and Islamic studies, in addition to the country’s general curriculum. Israel respects the cultural differences between the many ethnicities and religions in Israel and each one is free to practice their own life events, as in, marriage, education, inheritance rights, and so on.

In 1949, Israel enacted a series of Basic Laws that serve as a national constitution which include all branches of government as well as on the basic human right to liberty, dignity and freedom of livelihood. All Israelis enjoy the same rights under the law, including the right to vote and be elected and freedoms or religion and speech, for both men and women.

Voting in Israel is done by hand. Photo credit: The Yeshiva World

Diversity in Government:

Justice George Karra of the Supreme Court of Israel

Israeli-Arabs serve in different parties in the Israeli parliament, in the last Parliament which is to be replaced this coming April, 17 out of 120 members of Knesset were Arabs. Currently, an Israeli-Arab women is running to be the first Muslim Parliament member and youngest member of the Likud party. Arab parliament members. Arabs, Christians or Muslims alike, serve in various government positions, including:

• Golda Meir: 1969 – the first female PM
• Ali Yahya, an Israeli-Arab-Muslim: previous Ambassador to Finland
• Supreme Justice Salim Joubran, an Israeli-Arab-Christian who sat on the Israel Supreme Court and was one of the judges that convicted a former Israeli president to jail.
• George Kara – also an Arab Supreme Court Justice
• Ismail Khaldi, a Bedouin: former IDF and police force officer, he served as the Deputy Counsel General of Israel to the Consulate in San Francisco.
• Naim Aradi –Druze, Ambassador to Norway
• Jamal Zahalka – Leader of the Balad political party – 3 academic degrees from Hebrew University and a 3 term Arab member of parliament.
• Reda Mansou –Druze – Ambassador to Ecuador
• Majalli Wahabi –Druze – Former Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and acting President of Israel in Feb 2007
• Liutenant Colonel Magdi Mazarib- Bedouin- A Muslim Arab is the highest ranking tracker and commands a unit of field soldiers.

Rasan Alian Golani Brigade Commander injured in Gaza.

Diversity in the IDF:

• In 1948 Bedouin Arabs joined the Israeli forces to defend the country in the war against the six Arab states that attacked Israel. Today, Bedouins still serve in the IDF and Israeli police forces in prominent roles.
• Druze in Israel serve in the army as well, I myself had a Druze officer many years, they excel to the top ranks of the military and government.
  • IDF Major General Yusef Mishleb – Druze.
  • Rasan Alian- Druze- is the IDF’s Chief Golani officer and one of the highest-ranking Druze in the IDF.

Israel as a diverse country. Photo Credit: The Forward

Diversity in everyday culture:

Israeli Celebrities that attest to the equal rights amongst, religions, ethnicities, cultures and genders:

• Miss Israel 1999: Rana Raslan – Arab.
• 2008: Lifetime Achievement Award for 96 year old Sheik Abu Muamar for his work in the Bedouin communities.
• Miss Israel 2012: Lina Machola – Half Arab half Russian Christian.
• Miss Israel 2013: Yitish Aynaw – Ethiopian.
• The Voice 2013: Lina Makhoul, Arab.
• Walid Badir – Arab/Israeli football star and captain of Hapoel Tel Aviv.
• Nuseir Yassir or better known as “Nas Daily”- Arab Palestinian Social media star.
• Lucy Aharish- Arab news anchor, journalist, model and international public speaker.

• 

  Nas Daily- Palestinian – Israeli with over 1 million followers. He makes 1 minute videos around the world.

In social services, medicine, education:

• Aziz Darawshe – Arab Muslim, Director of Emergency Medicine, Hadassah Medical Center – I myself have been operated on by 3 different Arab doctors.
• Masad Barhoum –Arab, Director-General of Western Galilee Hospital.
• Professor Ashraf Brik, Ben Gurion University – Outstanding young chemist of 2011.
• Salman Zarka- director of Ziv Medical Center.

Israel is one of the only countries in the ME that protects and accepts diverse lifestyles.

• Israel is at the front of gay rights issues, prohibiting workplace discrimination in 1992, allowing homosexual soldiers to openly serve in the IDF in 1993, and granting spousal benefits to same-sex couples in 1994.
  • Dana International – Israelis most famous drag queen won the Euro-vision song competition in 1998 representing Israel.

Dana International- Euro-vision winner and transgender Israeli. Photo Credit: ESC Today

Summary:

There is only one country in the Middle East with freedom of religion, freedom of press, equal rights for homosexuals… where minorities sit in the Parliament and vote. Every year, thousands of African Refugees risk their lives to make the journey to Israel, traveling through hostile areas to get there. Would they do that if Israel was an apartheid state? It is important to understand that in Israel many ethnicities live equally and freely.

The 1967 borders are not an official international border, but it has become a norm to believe that it could be the potential future border. The separation is between two nationalities, not religions or ethnic groups, but two national movements, just like two countries.

I will tell you what apartheid is:

“I will never allow a single Israeli to live among us on Palestinian Land” – Mahmoud Abbas – speaking to Egyptian media in 2010.

The only law punishable by death in the Palestinian Authority is if an Arab sells land to a Jew.

Every Arab country has laws (in the legislative system) discriminating against Palestinians. Lebanese Palestinians are still forced to live in slums, by law! In Saudi Arabia there are stadiums and public places that do not allow entrance to females, and even more so they have roads for Muslims and for non-Muslims. Hamas, the leaders of the Gaza Strip is a terrorist movement that oppresses Christians and teaches their children that the peak of their life will be if they get the opportunity to kill Jews.

Stop hating Israel just to hate Israel, start facing the facts and accepting the truth. Israel is not perfect, but Israel is not apartheid. There, however, are many apartheid governments in the Middle East and they must be stopped.

Israeli soldiers at a ceremony. Photo Credit: United with Israel

Top photo credit: defence.pk